Ukraine first made their Junior Eurovision debut back in 2006, and have had varying levels of success over the years. They have participated consistently since their debut with their best result being in 2012, where young Anastasiya Petryk scored a win for Ukraine with the song Nebo. We’re going to discuss this, and each of the other Ukrainian Junior Eurovision acts today, and once we’ve recapped we want you to choose the Junior Best of the Bunch!
We’re starting today’s journey in 2006, where Nazar Slyusarchuk was chosen to perform the song Khlopchyk Rock-n-Roll, but don’t be fooled, it’s far from a rock song! There’s a lot going on in this performance, you have the Elvis inspired costume with flared pants and all, and a song with a dance beat but it all feels very gangster! The song finished in 9th place with a total of 58 points.
The following year Ilona Galitska was Ukraine’s representative with the upbeat song Urok Hlamuru. The performance was very energetic, with the staging reminiscent of the schoolyard vibe of Daz Sampson’s UK Eurovision entry in 2006! The song also featured the most “Eurovision” gimmick of all, a costume change! Ukraine once again finished in 9th place, this time with 56 points.
In 2008, Viktoria Petryk performed the song Matrosy. As we know, Viktoria Petryk went on to perform in the Eurovision national final for Ukraine, and has created success as an adult performer. Junior Eurovision was an important step in her musical career, and with her confident performance, Viktoria gave Ukraine their best Junior Eurovision results since their debut, with 135 points Ukraine achieved 2nd place!
Andranik Alexanyan was selected to represent Ukraine in 2009 with the song Try Topoli, Try Surmy. The performance was very culturally inspired, with beautiful costuming for Andranik and his backing performers. His voice itself was strong throughout the performance, which resulted in Ukraine finishing in 5th place with 89 points.
The following year, Yulia Gurska was selected for Junior Eurovision with the song Miy Litak. The young Ukrainian artist performed her pop tune with energy, however it wasn’t Europe’s favourite, with the song finishing in last place with just 28 points.
In 2011, Ukraine celebrated Europe with the song Evropa sung by Kristall. She sung her heart out on stage, performing with a Europe themed costume which featured flags from across the continent. Their results improved from the year previous, with the nation finishing in 11th place with 42 points.
Ukraine gained their best result in 2012 with Anastasiya Petryk, the younger sister of Ukraine’s 2008 Junior Eurovision representative! Anastasiya, who is just as talented as her sister, performed the mysterious ballad style song called Nebo. It enchanted the voters of Europe, winning the contest with 138 points!
That leads us to 2013, and with the home town crowd behind her, Sofia Tarasova gave an incredible performance of her song We Are One. The song was performed in Ukrainian and English, and the song was a hit with Europe’s voters, who voted Ukraine in 2nd place with 121 points.
The following year, the trio Sympho-Nick performed the song Pryyde Vesna, which was a crowd hit! The performance was very Disney-like, with backdrops of what looked like an enchanted forest. Once again Ukraine was left at the top end of the tables, finishing in 6th place with 74 points.
In 2015, the girl power continued with Anna Trincher selected to represent Ukraine with the song Pochny z sebe. The song was a powerful number with an inspiring message, and the added extra touch of Anna appearing from the flower at the start of the performance was very Eurovision! The song finished in 11th place with 38 points.
This brings us to the final entry today, which was performed last year by Sofia Rol. The song was called Planet Craves for Love, which was a beautiful ballad sung by a beautiful young artist! The song was loved by many, but unfortunately it wasn’t reflected in the results, with Ukraine finishing in 14th place with 30 points.
Now it’s your time to pick your Junior Best of the Bunch of Ukraine!